


The Art Assignment

by acercrea



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist AU, F/M, Fluff, No Smut, nudity mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 10:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12209301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acercrea/pseuds/acercrea
Summary: When your art professor mandates that you have to do a study in the human form, a friend volunteers to help.





	The Art Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is for @MARVELOUS FVCKS 3k followers writing challenge over on Tumblr. I selected the Artist AU, and I decided to go with Steve. I know the deadline is the 27th, but it is still the 27th in my time zone for another couple of minutes, so as far as I am concerned I made it. And as a warning there is no smut, but there are mentions of nudity.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything you recognize and this is just for fun. I am not making any money off of it.

“My art teacher officially hates me,” I grumbled, slamming down my tray in the dining hall so hard I knocked over my bottle of juice.

“Wow, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and grilled cheese with a cup of tomato soup. I don’t think you have enough comfort food on your tray, dollface,” Bucky noted as I started tearing my sandwich into strips so that I could dip them in the soup easier, before taking the lid off of my soup.

“Bite me, Barnes,” I replied, shooting him a glare over my food.

“Now, now, no need to be nasty. I’ve seen your portfolio, you are a great artist, why would you think that your teacher hates you?” Steve asked, swatting Bucky’s hand away as the brunette tried to snag one of his fries.

“According to her I am too immature and I don’t have enough experience to know when to take a risk so my work is thoroughly predictable and too boring to be worth her time. She has mandated that I have to do a study in the human form to broaden my horizons. The only bright side is that she is at least letting me pick my own subject, but I still have to find someone who is willing to get naked and agree to be drawn that way for the sake of art,” I sighed, dunking the first chunk of sandwich into my soup before taking a bite.

“Do you have anyone yet?” Steve asked, setting aside his History textbook.

“No, I was thinking of asking that kid from my Econ class who seems to think my eyes are in my boobs. He would definitely say yes, but then I would have to see a lot more of him than I want to and I don’t want to give him the wrong idea. The idea of explaining to him after the session that sex is entirely off of the table is about as appealing as shoving a fork all the way through my hand, so there is that. I suppose I could find someone on the internet to draw, but if my teacher ever found out I would fail the course. I don’t know what to do, but I have to figure it out quick, because I have one of the studios reserved for tomorrow at 3,” I answered.

“I would volunteer, if only to keep you from having to ask a creep, but I have a mid-term for English then, and it is a significant portion of my grade,” Peggy apologized, picking thoughtfully at her lasagna.

“Thanks for the offer, but Professor Hill made it pretty clear that it has to be a study of the male form specifically. She kind of went out of her way to make me uncomfortable with this assignment,” I replied.

“That does make it a bit harder to find a suitable candidate. I know, what about Steve?” Peggy suggested.

The only response Steve could manage was to cough and choke on the water he had been drinking.

“Well, I think that answers that question. Arms up, buddy, clear those airways,” Bucky chuckled, reaching over to the next table to grab some napkins from the dispenser and handing them to Steve so he could try to dry the front of his shirt. “Tell you what, in order to save you from Creepy Econ Guy, I will do it,” Bucky offered with a shrug.

“Really?” I asked, a little surprised.

“Yeah, I was supposed to do some chemistry review thing with my lab partner, but she just canceled on me half an hour ago, so I am all yours, doll. Do I need to bring anything with me? On second thought, I guess that is a silly question, isn’t it?” Bucky laughed.

“Actually, you will need a robe, if you have one, to, um cover up while we are waiting for the, uh, clothing lines to disappear,” I answered, stumbling a little bit on my words, a blush beginning to creep up my face.

“Ok, no problem. I have to run to Calculus, but text me the details and I will see you at 3 tomorrow,” Bucky promised with a smirk, throwing his books in his bag, grabbing his tray and rushing off.

 

 

**

 

I was on my way to the studio I had booked, when my phone chimed in my pocket. Shifting my art bag to the other arm, I pulled out my phone to read the text.

_My lab partner claims to not have been talking to me when she canceled our study session and is insisting that I stay. Don’t worry, Steve is going to fill in for me, he might even be there already. Sorry I couldn’t be there, I will buy you a drink the next time the group goes out to make up for it. :(_

I quickly typed out a response( _No prob, thanks for getting it covered_ ), and pocketed the phone as I arrived at the studio.

I opened the door and saw Steve sitting awkwardly on the stool in a huge, fluffy, dark blue robe. “Hi Steve, how are you doing?” I asked, setting my bag down, pulling out a large sketch pad and my set of artists pencils.

“Oh, you know. Just sitting here awkwardly, in a robe and nothing else, hoping that no one else walks in, kind of wondering if I am being punk’d,” he joked, a bright red flush creeping up his cheeks.

“No, I left Ashton Kutcher back at the dorms. I had to tie him to a chair because he kept trying to escape. And I will lock the door, so no one can walk in. Is there anything else I can do to make you more comfortable?” I questioned as I flipped the pad open to a blank page and set it on an easel.

“Take your shirt off?” he requested softly, as if he was hoping I wouldn’t hear him, the faint tint to his cheeks blossoming instantly to tomato red.

“And here I thought Bucky wasn’t able to make it today,” I commented with a chuckle, my eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, it’s just that I have never done anything like this before and I am so far outside my comfort zone. It was the first thing that came to my mind and I really wish I hadn’t said it. I hope I didn’t offend you,” Steve apologized, somehow making his large frame sink into the bathrobe a little.

“No, it is fine, you are nervous. No offense taken. In fact, if I thought it would actually make you relax, I would do it. But I do have an idea,” I told him, pulling a smaller sketch pad out of my bag.

“Woah, what are you doing?” Steve asked, shying away as I dragged my chair closer, momentarily abandoning the easel.

“Relax, I am just getting closer. I am going to sketch your face, just your face, so that you can keep the robe on, while we chat and you remember that we have been friends since freshmen year, when I met you and Bucky at that party thrown by Nat and Clint. It wasn’t going well, but Bucky didn’t want Nat to feel bad, so he insisted we play Truth or Dare,” I started the conversation, quickly sketching his face; the sharp line of his jaw, full lips, eyelashes any woman would kill for, smudge the eye a bit to create warmth.

“You gave him so much crap for that. I thought that the feud was never going to end,” he laughed, causing his eyes to crinkle, which I hurriedly captured in the sketch.

“Well, I thought someone needed to remind him that we were freshmen in college, not high school. I mean, what kind of self-respecting adult wants to play Truth or Dare? I thought he was kidding,” I pointed out, flipping the page and starting another drawing.

“I don’t think that was the part he was mad about. I think we both know that he was hoping his dare would get him a kiss,” Steve countered.

“I stand by my choice that night. Not just because Bucky is cocky and sometimes needs to be reminded that he isn’t god’s gift to women. How do you feel about baring your top half?” I asked as I finished the second drawing of his face, this one a slight profile focusing on the curve of his nose.

“What, like I just take my arms out like this, but leave the bottom half covered? Yeah, I’m ok with that,” he agreed, pulling his arms out of the robe and letting it dangle around his waist.

I flipped the page and started sketching again, his arms, pecs, and abs taking shape. “We never would have become friends at all if it weren’t for you,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but you know me, I hate conflict. And when I realized that you were someone who could actually keep Bucky in line, I knew I had to help you two mend things. So I did the only thing I could think of. I locked you in a closet together,” Steve confessed to me.

“That was you? I have blamed Peggy for that this entire time. I put dish soap in the wrong persons shampoo,” I laughed.

“That is so tame, I would have thought you would have done something bigger than that,” Steve commented.

“And it would have been if I had only done it once. I did it every time she bought a new bottle of shampoo until we switched to a new room Sophomore year. She changed her brand of shampoo, she had maintenance check our water pressure, no matter what she did it was almost impossible to rinse her hair clean every time she washed it,” I reminisced, finishing my third drawing and pulling the pad to my chest.

“I had forgotten how diabolical you are. And you have stopped drawing. Does that mean it is time?” Steve asked.

“Only if you are ready. How do you feel?” I inquired.

“Like I can’t do this with you staring at me,” he replied honestly.

“Ok, well then in that case, I am going to turn my back while I drag my stool back to the easel, and you can get undressed at your own pace without me looking at you. Just let me know when it is safe for me to turn around,” I proposed, as I tucked my smaller sketch book back in my bag and sat on the stool facing the door.

I heard the sound of cloth dropping to the ground and I waited for Steve to give me the word. I was about to ask if he was ok, when he finally spoke, “I need you to promise me one thing.”

“Anything Steve,” I agreed.

“Don’t laugh,” he requested.

“Done,” I promised.

“Ok, then you can turn around,” Steve told me.

I turned slowly, trying to view him with the eyes of an artist only. “Oh, Steve,” I breathed. “I don’t see anything funny. You are beautiful.”

“You are just saying that to make me feel better,” Steve grumbled, trying to cover himself.

“No, I’m not. You are so stunning that it is almost unfair that you are so beautiful on the inside too, because no one person should be allowed to monopolize so much beauty,” I responded honestly.

This seemed to relax him a little bit, and he moved his hands. “Ok, um, I want to get this over with, so how do you want me to sit, what should I do with my hands?” Steve asked, trying different things with his arms, moving them from resting on his lap, to dangling by his sides, to crossed over his chest.

“I think you should put your right hand on your right knee, and cross the left hand over your chest so that it is grabbing your shoulder. How does that feel?” I asked, selecting a pencil from the case.

“Yeah, that feels ok. Can I ask you a question, since we are being honest with each other?” Steve asked as I started to draw him.

“I owe you so many favors for this that you can ask anything you want and I will answer honestly,” I replied, focusing switching between Steve and the page.

“That first night we met, and Bucky dared you to kiss the most attractive guy in the room? Why did you kiss me?” he asked, the vulnerability from before coming back into his eyes.

“Because I found every other man in the room lacking,” I shrugged.

“Really? I thought you were just trying to prove a point to Bucky,” Steve replied.

“This may come as a shock to you, but I didn’t just see you as this scrawny thing back then. Yes, Bucky was more physically fit than you, and Clint had those arms from all that archery, and you were just this skinny thing in comparison. But I saw something in you that night. The only thing that they had that you didn’t was confidence. And I thought that maybe I could give that to you with a kiss. I chose you because I wanted you to get a chance to be the guy I saw hiding inside you. And honestly, between the two of you, I have always found that Bucky doesn’t hold a candle to you. Now hold still,” I ordered, finishing the first drawing and moving on to a second.

We sat in silence for a while after that, me drawing, him sitting quietly.

“Ok,” I broke the silence about 20 minutes later. “I am done. I am going to put things away if you want to go behind the screen and get dressed again.”

“Really? We are done?” Steve asked, starting a bit at the sound of my voice like he had forgotten I was in the room.

“Oh no, I haven’t turned you into a nudist, have I? Because I was going to take you out to dinner to thank you for doing this, but I don’t think they will let us in if you aren’t wearing clothes,” I teased, walking over to hand him his discarded robe before pushing him to the corner of the room.

“Fine, I will get dressed if it makes you happy,” Steve joked, ducking quickly behind the screen. “But you aren’t buying me dinner.”

“What? Of course I am, it is the least I can do,” I countered, making sure the elastic that held my big sketch book closed was on properly, I didn’t want the book to fall open somehow and display all of Steve to someone walking by.

“No, you aren’t, because a woman never pays on the first date,” Steve responded.

“Date?” I asked as he walked back over to me, fully dressed, with the robe draped over his arm.

“I have been in love with you since that first night, but all this time I thought that you only kissed me because you were trying to prove a point to Bucky. I just found out that was not the case, and we have a lot of lost time to make up for, as far as I am concerned,” Steve told me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I could be ok with that,” I spoke softly, the air suddenly charged between us, his crystal blue eyes the last thing I saw before my eyes fluttered shut as he drew closer. It was a much different kiss that the one from 3 years ago. I had caught Steve by surprise that night, he never even had time to properly respond to the kiss before I pulled away.

This time Steve was in charge, his lips moving against mine firm yet gentle, one hand tangling in the hair at the base of my neck, the electricity that had been around us now coursing through us, a tingling sensation radiating from every point that we touched.

“I can’t believe we wasted so much time not doing that,” I gasped when we finally broke apart, resting our foreheads against each other as we caught our breaths.

“Then why are we stopping?” Steve countered, leaning back in, making me forget everything around me when he gently brushed his tongue against my lips, losing myself in him completely as I opened my mouth and let him inside.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hoped you liked it, I hope no one was disappointed that there was no smut, I just don’t see Steve as a guy who would just jump into bed with someone because they have seen him naked. Leave me Kudos, comment, do all of the things, let me know what you thought, this is my first MCU fic period and I hope I got Steve right.


End file.
